- NOTE: For the reboot version of this character, click here.
“ | You don't know anything! You're not even a real sorceress. You're an... an idiot savant! | „ |
~ Charmcaster to Gwen |
Hope, also known as Charmcaster, is a major antagonist in the Ben 10 franchise.
She is a nemesis of Gwen, as well as the niece and apprentice of Hex. Like her paternal uncle, she depends on magic to fight. Though like most villains, she despises Ben, but her hatred is mostly turned towards Gwen for their shared affinity in magic, mirroring Ben's and Kevin's rivalry in the original series. Charmcaster played a key role in the series as it was by stealing her spell book Gwen learnt to use her own magical powers.
She was voiced by Kari Wahlgren, who also played Enchantress in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Tayuya in Naruto, Amanda Killman in Bunsen Is a Beast, Shannon Boxman in OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, Star Sapphire in DC Super Hero Girls, and Mileena in Mortal Kombat 11.
Personality[]
Charmcaster is a complex and impenetrable person who has grown up without the guidance of her father. Her only role model was her uncle Hex, which had caused her to develop a delinquent attitude and a lust for power. As shown in "A Change of Face", Charmcaster had spent some time in Juvenile Hall (being the target of bullies), which only made growing up more difficult. Due to the harshness and misfortune that has befallen her with every encounter with Ben, and especially Gwen, Charmcaster had become quite offended, vituperative, resentful, bitter and abusive. To compensate for her insecurities, she always acts very rude, arrogant, manipulative and egotistical, striving to prove her superiority over others, Gwen above all, whose magical talents and power that she is highly jealous and possessive of.
Even though she seemed to have found some measure of redemption after defeating Adwaita and avenging her father's death, she ends up becoming corrupted again, due to Ledgerdomain's nature and the Alpha Rune's power. She began to improve after her father told her she was living her life wrong, but Darkstar's faithlessness of Adwaita's manipulation have caused her to stray from her path once more.
Despite her faults, Charmcaster can also be extremely communicative, friendly, kind and sociable when she feels like it. This is especially seen when she teams up with Ben's team in Ledgerdomain and Anur Transyl. In the latter instance, she has also relaxed and has more of a sense of humor than before, only dropping it when under the influence of the Alpha Rune's power. She has also become more childish than before, with both the cheerful innocence and the petty cruelty that comes along with it.
Appearance[]
In the original series, Charmcaster wears a magenta coat with purple at the ends, underneath she wears purple pants with black straps around them. She still wears her Magical Charm Bag around her waist which is the main tool for her battles.
In Ben 10: Alien Force and Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, Charmcaster now wears a purple dress with a pink ribbon around her waist and a black crown on her head, in addition to that she wears black gloves. At the top of her dress, she has a fuchsia gem with a gold border, and she also wears tight black leggings with black shoes. In the original series, Charmcaster wore her silver hair in a low ponytail, with two strands of hair out and lavender and light pink eyes, along with light purple lipstick. In Ben 10: Alien Force and Ben 10: Ultimate Alien she wears her silver hair laid out that extends to her thighs, orchid eyes, and dark purple/black lipstick. She looks slightly thinner, much taller, and her ears are a lot pointier.
In Omniverse, her appearance is a combination of elements from both previous ones: the ponytail, purple eyes, normal ears, and the pink coat from the former, and black lipstick, gloves, leggings, shoes, the fuchsia gem, and shirt emblem from the latter.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Magic: Charmcaster is a skilled witch, but she is not as powerful as her uncle Hex.
- Divine, Dark, Pure Magic: Being a witch, Charmcaster is skillful with kinds of magic such as dark magic, mysticism, and magic books.
- Spell Casting: Charmcaster can cast various spells from her spellbook.
- Mana Manipulation: Charmcaster can manipulate Mana energy for blasts, shields, and other various needs.
- Levitation: Similar to Hex, Charmcaster can use magic to lift herself into the air.
- Telekinesis: Charmcaster can manipulate objects using magic.
- Mind Control: Charmcaster can mind control others by using an amulet.
- Elemental Control: Charmcaster can use magic to control the elements such as water and plant-like.
- Shapeshifting: Charmcaster can alter her appearance using magic.
- Animation: Charmcaster can bring inanimate objects to life.
- Transmogrification: Charmcaster can alter her staff into a snake and turn beings into totems.
- Summoning: Charmcaster can use magic to summon and control Rock Creatures.
- Teleportation: Similar to Hex, Charmcaster can use magic to teleport to another location.
- Portal Creation: Charmcaster can use magic to open portals to any location by using magic.
- Reanimation: Charmcaster can use magic to animate dead animals such as small octopuses.
- Energy Beam Emission: Charmcaster can fire powerful energy beams from her hands.
- Magic Drain: Charmcaster can use magic drain a another being's magic.
- Aura Reading: Charmcaster can sense someone else's aura and know what they are thinking and/or how they were feeling.
- Lighting Bolt Projection: Charmcaster can project lighting bolts from Hex's Staff.
- Firework Projection: Charmcaster can project fireworks using magic.
- Body Switching: Using a spell called "Transfera Identica", Charmcaster can trap someone in a energy bubble and then swap bodies, but she will need a potion in order to make the spell.
- Dragon Transformation: Charmcaster is able to use magic to transform into a dragon.
- Staff Proficiency: Charmcaster is able to demonstrate a aptitude for the ways of the staff or wand, being able to wield a staff/wand with great proficiency and skill.
Trivia[]
- Charmcaster and Hex are actually humans from an interdimensional world (specifically Yahwahtacsip, referred to as Ledger Domain/Ledgerdomain as revealed in Where the Magic Happens), thus explaining their immense magical powers and abilities. Her father was Spellbinder, an incredibly strong and powerful magician who was ruthlessly murdered while opposing the destructive Adwaita.
- Charmcaster is one of the few Ben 10 villains whose character alignment is prone to changing from show to show or from episode to episode. Sometimes she is a villain, other times an anti-hero, and sometimes a completely neutral party.
- According to Duncan Rouleau of Man of Action, both Kevin and Charmcaster were created specifically to be foils for Ben and Gwen, to reflect more personal conflicts within them based around their youth, and who would gradually shift from villains to anti-heroes. If Gwen had received a spinoff series, then Charmcaster would have joined the former's side just as Kevin had joined Ben's.
- In the reboot, Charmcaster's background has changed dramatically. No longer Hex's niece from a magical dimension, she is now a human girl named Heather who gained magic powers when she bought a spell book. Her appearance is also different, as she now has white, shoulder-length hair with a black spiked headband, wears a black choker around her neck, her bag is now white, still wears the necklace, a black top with a purple sweater over it, a magenta skirt, grey leggings and black boots.
External Links[]
- Charmcaster on the Heroes Wiki.
- Charmcaster on the Ben 10 Planet.